Spear of Longinus
Category:ArticlesCategory:ItemsCategory:Weapons | continuity = DC Universe DC Television Universe Marvel Universe | other names = Spear of Destiny | availability = | manufacturer = | model = | 1st appearance = ''Weird War Tales'' #50 Earliest known appearance in a DC Comics title. ''Strange Combat Tales'' #4 Earliest known appearance in a Marvel Comics title. "Raiders of the Lost Art". Fragment only. First appearance on Legends of Tomorrow. The fully assembled spear is first shown in "Camelot/3000". }} The Spear of Longinus, also known as the Lance of Longinus or the Spear of Destiny is a mythical holy artifact that is said to have pierced the side of Jesus Christ at the Crucifixion. Longinus was a Roman Centurion responsible for creating the last of the Five Holy Wounds of Christ. The spear itself has become the subject of lore and fiction, and has fueled the imagination of speculative fiction creators ever since. It has been represented in film, television and comic books. The Spear of Destiny plays a large role in many stories published by DC Comics and has also appeared in material published by Marvel Comics. It also appeared in the back-end of season two of the CW Network television series Legends of Tomorrow, where a young amateur film student named George Lucas nearly changed the course of geek history forever after getting his hands on the Spear. DC Universe The spear used to pierce the side of Christ, the spear had many different owners throughout the years. The most pivotal role the Spear had came in World War II as it fell into the hands of Adolf Hitler. The control of the Spear by the Third Reich prevented American heroes from intervening in the War. The Spear was used towards the end of the War by a cornered Captain Nazi who attacked the Spectre with it, nearly killing him and precipitating the end of the world. After the War, the spear came into the hands of the Allies, and was placed in storage in the United States. It would emerge years later, during a time when the Spectre was considered out of control, having destroyed the entire nation of Vlatvia. President Bill Clinton ordered the Spear retrieved and asked Superman to confront the Spectre with it, as it was widely accepted that the Spear was perhaps the only weapon on Earth that could actually harm him. Superman took the Spear and headed for Japan, where the Spectre was grappling with a water elemental sent on a rampage by Maia. The Spear was also capable of injuring or slaying the elemental itself. Unfortunately, it was not realized until after Superman was in the air that the Spear contained the taint of Adolph Hitler -- that all who wielded it would be corrupted to his evil. Superman beheld a vision where he used the Spear to take over the world, slaying all of his allies and close friends before being confronted at last by Batman. Superman was able to deny the vision and reject the Spear. The Spectre bound the Spear inside a rocky boulder and cast it into Earth orbit. Later, during the Day of Vengeance, the rogue angel Asmodel seized control of the vacant Spectre Force and literally froze over hell. Earth's heroes split into three groups: one group lead by Superman went into hell to reignite the fires; a second, led by Wonder Woman, attempted to retrieve Jim Corrigan from Heaven and rebond him to the Spectre; and a third, led by Captain Marvel, ventured into space to retrieve the Spear. Captain Marvel was able to withstand the taint long enough to deal a crippling blow to the Spectre, weakening him long enough for Hal Jordan (who was retreived from Purgatory instead of Corrigan) to become the new host for the Spectre. Once joined, this new Spectre cast the Spear back into space. Recently the Spear fell into the hands of the Dragon King, however the Spear is now thought to be lost thanks to intervention by Wildcat and the Flash (Jay Garrick). Marvel Universe The "Spear of Destiny" was used by the Roman Centurion Longinus during the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. According to legend, whosoever held the spear controlled the fate of the world. It later was later wielded by St. Maurice. During World War II; it came into the possession of Adolf Hitler, who was convinced the weapon would ensure the Nazi's victory. Captain America and a team of American heroes were sent to capture it. Blue Diamond and Mastermind Excello retrieved the Spear of Destiny and was put into storage by the US Military. It was later placed on display in a Germany Museum. The Devos stole the spear and used it as part of spell to summon the mystic entity "Savior" in hopes of reversing the world to a pre-technology state. Wolverine and Boom Boom tracked down the Devos and used the spear to banish Saviour by stabbing the spear into the Saviour's chest. The spear was later recovered by an elderly Dutch man from the town of Vliet. His family were killed by the Invaders when the townsfolk were turned into monsters by Arnim Zola. Using the Spear he made a deal with Shuma-Gorath to restore the town of Vliet to its former self in return for the Invaders' lives. He granted his wish but along with the Nazi forces lead by Zola who once again prepared to mutate the townsfolk. The Invaders arrived to help and found the man he attacked them with the spear. After dealing with the Axis forces, the Invaders approached the man and offered to find a cure using modern medical science. They succeeded and the townsfolk wished to return to the afterlife. He was determined to break his deal with Shuma-Gorath, but was stopped by Zola who killed him. Zola, now wielding the Spear, and the Axis attacked the Invaders just as Shuma-Gorath traveled to Earth. They all battled together in which Captain America managed to capture the spear it and throw it to Vision, who used it to stab Shuma-Gorath in the eye and sending him back to his realm. Appearances Television * Legends of Tomorrow: Raiders of the Lost Art * Legends of Tomorrow: Turncoat * Legends of Tomorrow: Camelot/3000 * Legends of Tomorrow: Land of the Lost * Legends of Tomorrow: Moonshot * Legends of Tomorrow: Fellowship of the Spear * Legends of Tomorrow: Doomworld Comics * Captain Marvel Vol 4 27 * Captain Marvel Vol 4 28 * Captain Marvel Vol 4 29 * Captain Marvel Vol 4 30 * Last Days of the Justice Society of America Special 1 * Mantra: Spear of Destiny 1 * Mantra: Spear of Destiny 2 * Strange Combat Tales 4 * Weird War Tales 50 * Wolverine: Evilution 1 Films * Constantine References External Links * * * * Spear of Longinus at the Arrowverse Wiki